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Manuscript copy, probably contemporary, of John Winthrop's sermon 'A Modell of Christian Charity,' 1630. Gift of Francis B. Winthrop, 1809., John Winthrop (12 January 1587/8 – 26 March 1649) led a large group of emigrants from England across the Atlantic in 1630, and served as the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony., New-York Historical Society

Abigail Adams, who served as the second First Lady of the United States, was the wife of President John Adams, and the mother of President John Quincy Adams. Correspondence between Abigail Adams and family and friends, including her uncle Cotton Tufts, and her son John Quincy Adams. The letters discuss matters relating to family, illness, personal finances and the running of a household, the U.S. Congress at Philadelphia, and American politics. One letter, signed, dated Boston, July 20, 1787, to Hon. Cotton Tufts, comments upon Shays' Rebellion.

Drawn from several manuscript collections at the New-York Historical Society, Abraham Lincoln drafted, signed, endorsed, or received the 192 documents presented in this digital collection during his presidency. They range from correspondence with his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, to proclamations and other official documents signed by Lincoln, to letters, telegrams, and petitions received by him from government officials, military leaders, and ordinary citizens. These documents reveal Lincoln's eloquence and his deep engagement in the affairs of state as he writes, comments, signs off, and makes decisions on numerous issues relating to war, politics, and government. Together they provide unique insights into the arduous role of the presidency as Lincoln guided the nation through its most difficult time.

A record book, dated 1791-1798 and 1800-1806, kept by Abraham Varick of New York City. The book contains copies of letters to merchants in England and Germany and lists of merchandise ordered from them. The letters discuss business matters, including the difficulties of transatlantic trade in wartime and the risk of seizures of ships. Commodities ordered are mainly textiles and metal goods (scissors, cutlery, hand tools, etc.)., Abraham Varick was a New York City dry goods merchant, and brother of jurist and politician Richard Varick.

Correspondence, drafts of essays and speeches, drawings, and autobiographical writings of Alexander Jackson Davis, a successful New York City architect. Includes letters to Davis and miscellaneous papers, 1835-1859, chiefly about building residences. The correspondents include Francis H. Smith of the Virginia Military Institute, Joel Rathbone, W.J. Rotch, and H.K. Harral. The collection also includes numerous examples of autobiographical writing, and notes and essays on the philosophy of architecture, all in draft form, many scribbled in pencil on the backs of advertisements or old letters.

Notebook, 1772-1774, of Alexander Watson, a landowner and resident of New York City who was nephew and heir of John Watson (1685-1768). Contains receipts, lists of deeds and properties, and a note of a lease assigned to him in New York to build a church; notes on taxes; excerpts from "A new system of agriculture, by a Country Gentleman," with references to other writers on agriculture; prayers; versified psalms; music for the "Old Hundredth" and "God Save the King"; secular poems and songs; moral, religious and economic reflections; and genealogical notes.

Luis de Carvajal the Younger (1567?-December 8, 1596) was the nephew of Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, the governor of León, Mexico. The Carvajals are the best known conversos (‘New Christians’) in colonial Mexico, largely owing to Luis the Younger’s testimony at his trial before the Inquisition in 1595. He denounced more than 120 individuals as crypto-Jews—people who secretely practiced their old faith while publicly purporting to follow another faith—including members of his own family. He and many of his family were burned at the stake in 1596. These three documents bound together in one volume are believed to be the only extant writings by a Jew in Mexico during the Spanish colonial period. They include Carvajal’s autobiography (written under the pseudonym Joseph Lumbroso), Maimonides’s 13 principles of the faith, the Ten commandments, and a prayer manual drawn from the Old Testament. The volume is owned by the Archivo General de la Nación (Mexico).

Autograph letters from members of the Bartram family. Two letters, both by John Bartram (1699-1777), are of particular interest: the first to Cadwallader Colden, describing his recent expedition up the Susquehanna River; the second to William Bartram, which begins "Dear Billy, I have now a most grievous cough that teaseth me night and day yet I have sent thee six likely young negroes among which is [sic] two young breeding wenches..." John Bartram was a prominent botanist who established a successful garden in Kingsessing, Pa. and led numerous expeditions throughout the Eastern United States.

Approximately 760 letters written by U.S. Army private Benjamin Segan (b. 1924) to his fiancée, Judith Berman, in New York City, describing his activities at basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Camp Croft, South Carolina, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and his experiences in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II.

Account book, 1856-1858, kept by the prominent slave trading firm of Bolton, Dickens & Co. of Lexington, Kentucky, with branches in Memphis, Charleston, Natchez, and New Orleans. It chiefly records slaves purchased and sold by the firm, with entries giving the name of the slave, purchase and selling price, profit, names of suppliers, and occasional remarks. Some persons involved in the firm's recorded transactions were Washington Bolton, Isaac Bolton, Samuel Dickens, and the slave trader G.L. Bumpass. Of additional note is a copy of an 1857 letter to Isaac Bolton, probably written by his brother Washington Bolton while Isaac was in prison awaiting trial for the murder of slave dealer James McMillan of Kentucky following a dispute in Memphis concerning McMillan's sale to Bolton of a 16-year old slave who was later revealed to be a free man, and other related documents. The volume was later employed as a day book by "B.B.W." (possibly B.B. Wadell) and contains accounts for the year 1865.

Three handwritten pages of lyrics entitled "Castle Thunder song," undated, written by an unnamed prisoner at Castle Thunder, circa 1863. Lyrics describe life and conditions in the prison., Castle Thunder was a former tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Va., used to house prisoners during the Civil War.

Letters, some in French, from C.J.M. De Wolf, a banker in Antwerp, Belgium, or, after 1806, his wife, to Gouverneur Morris concerning financial matters such as loans for the U.S., economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe and De Wolf’s speculations involving 440,000 acres of land in northern New York State. Frequently mentiond are Phyn, Ellis & Inglis, William Constable & Co., William Short and Le Ray de Chaumont.

Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was a United States senator from Massachusetts and a campaigner against slavery. This is a draft, ca. 1855, of a version of the speech delivered in New York on May 9, 1855, and published that year under the title "The anti-slavery enterprise." Internal evidence indicates that it was to be delivered to a Boston audience, probably on May 15, 1855.

The diaries of Charles Willoughby Dayton (1846-1910) date from 1863 to 1865 and contain entries about the weather and war news. He writes negatively about African Americans, African American soldiers, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Abraham Lincoln. He also mentions the New York Draft Riots and his fear of being killed by the mobs. Other events and topics noted by Dayton include the marriage of Tom Thumb, the death of Edwin Booth's wife, Mary Booth (ne Devlin), the New York Sanitary Fair of 1864, and the campaign leading up to the presidential election of 1864 (Dayton was a supporter of George McClellan, and makes many entries concerning the campaign and his fears that Lincoln will be re-elected). The Charles Willoughby Dayton papers were donated to the New-York Historical Society by William Charles Willoughby Dayton Denby III, and the diaries were digitized thanks to his generosity.

Charlotte Browne was matron of the general hospital in North America. Her diary, 1754-1757, describes a voyage from London to Virginia on board the ship London laden with hospital supplies as part of an expedition of thirteen transports, three ordnance ships, and two convoys carrying the 44th and 48th regiments to America. The diary includes accounts of Braddock's campaign in Virginia, Maryland, Philadelphia, and New York. At the end are some financial notes dated 1763 to 1766. This diary is probably a fair copy transcribed by Browne from her original notes and is bound in a flap binding of green stained vellum stamped in gold.

New York City merchant Christopher Bancker's journal, May 11, 1718 to February 28, 1750, recording sales of general merchandise and accounts of business and personal transactions., Christopher Bancker (1695-1763) was a merchant in New York City.

66 autograph letters, signed, between James B. Collins and his brother Joseph T. Collins, their parents John W. and Mary Anne Collins, and a handful of friends and relatives, all dated between February 4, 1862 and July 9, 1863. The bulk of the letters from the front are written by James B. Collins. Also includes a manuscript copy of lyrics to a song entitled "Song of the Louisiana Lowlands." James B. and Joseph T. Collins of New York City enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August of 1862. They were first assigned to the U.S.S. Monticello, and then transferred to the U.S.S. Commodore Barney. Before being assigned to the Barney, among other experiences they witnessed the destruction of the ironclad U.S.S. Monitor off Cape Hatteras on December 31, 1862. Joseph Collins was killed on the Barney during the Battle of Suffolk on April 14, 1863; James survived the battle but lost an arm in the same explosion that killed his brother. James B. Collins was honorably discharged on July 16, 1863 and returned to New York. He became an Internal Revenue officer for the First District of New York City in 1872.

Two volumes of account books (30 and 48 p., respectively) belonging to Loyalist Crean Brush. First volume has had several pages removed., Crean Brush emigrated to New York from Ireland in 1762. From 1773-1775 he served in the New York legislature as a representative of the town of Wesminster, in what would later become Vermont, where he had accumulated extensive land holdings. During the Revolutionary War he served under British General Gage and was imprisoned by Revolutionary forces. Having lost his property, he committed suicide after the war ended.

Twenty-four letters and financial accounts created by members of the Crooke family, originally of Ulster County, N.Y. Collection includes six documents pertaining to the disposal of the estate of Charles Crooke, Jr., dated 1753-1767; one autograph letter, signed, from John Crooke to Martin S. Wilkins, dated Rhinebeck, July 27, 1807; twelve autograph letters, signed, of an official nature from John Crooke Jr. to Henry Livingston, then clerk of neighboring Dutchess county, ranging in dare from 1737-1750; three personal autograph letters, signed, from William Crooke to Peter E. Elmendorf, all dated Raritan, ranging from 1784-1790; two undated autograph letters, signed, from Rebecca Wickham Crooke to cousins Peter E. Elmendorf and a Mrs. Bleecker (probably Catherine Elmendorf Bleecker, b. 1747)-- the latter is a letter of introduction for Mrs. Jeremiah Reynolds., John Crooke, Jr. served as clerk of Ulster county from 1746-1759. Other members of the Crooke family were also prominent in Ulster county politics, especially in the town of Kingston. Robert Crooke (1717-1802) moved to Rhode Island, married Ann Wickham, and had a daughter, Rebecca Wickham Crooke.

Six volumes of recipes, dated 1840-1874, accompanied by twenty-eight loose recipes (most undated), a letter to Eliza Duane from her cousin Kate, and a handwritten song to the tune of "Yankee Doodle." Eliza Duane, and is dated November 28, 1843, another is identified as belonging to Mrs. Mary Wells (undated), and still another was given by S.T. Bagg to Fanny T. Wells, and is dated December 25, 1857; the remaining three volumes most likely belonged to these women or other members of the Wells or Duane families. The cookbooks and accompanying loose sheets contain recipes for various cakes (including "Jenny Lind Cake" and "Election Cake"), preserves, puddings, desserts and soups, as well as directions for pickling (including "Pickled Oysters") and curing of various meats and other foods. One of the loose sheets also has a medicinal recipe for the treatment of cholera ("Cholera Mixture")., Six volumes of recipes (circa 378 pages) and thirty loose items.

This collection contains papers relating to the Duane family and associated families. The bulk of the collection concerns the papers of James Duane, a prominent New York lawyer, patriot, and land developer. James Duane (1733-1797) became the ward of Robert Livingston after his father's death around 1734 and married Livingston's daughter Mary in 1759. He made a number of profitable real estate investments and was a prominent lawyer by the time of the American Revolution. He was a member of the Revolutionary Committee of New York, the Continental Congress, one of the signers of the Articles of Confederation, a member of the Constitutional Convention, a U.S. District judge from 1789 to 1794, and mayor of the city of New York from 1794 to 1789.

Letters, certificates, land grants and military orders pertaining to the life of Ebenezer Gray of Connecticut. Items include Grays commissions as major (dated 1777, signed by John Hancock) and lieutenant-colonel in the Sixth Connecticut Regiment (1778, signed by John Jay); eight letters from various officers discussing military matters; Grays membership certificate in the Society of the Cincinnati, signed by George Washington; and a land grant to Grays three children, signed by Thomas Jefferson. Two items dated 1841 and 1844 relate to the discovery of Grays powder horn in Germantown, which was lost in battle, and arrangements to return it to his family., Ebenezer Gray of Windham, Connecticut served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the American Revolution.

1 letter book (60 pages). Letter book, New York City, August 28, 1807-July 29, 1814, containing copies of letters sent (and a few received) by Stevens as Major-General of Artillery, New York State Militia. The subjects of the letters are military matters and the War of 1812, and the correspondents include Solomon Van Rensselaer, Jacob Morton, and Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins., Major-General of Artillery, New York State Militia.

Ebenezer Stevens (1751-1823) served as a soldier and officer in the Continental Army and the New York State Artillery Corps during the Revolutionary War. Post-war, he was an agent for the United States War Department as well as a successful merchant in New York City. This collection documents his activities as a merchant and as a commanding officer, focusing particularly on daily functions and the fortification of New York Harbor in the years 1802-1814. The papers do not contain much information about Stevens' Revolutionary War efforts, aside from two military orders.

Autograph letter, signed, from Edward Annely, dated Philadelphia, August 22, 1754, to William Kempe, Esq. Annely requests Kempe’s help and advice in both collecting a debt and in raising funds from a sale of stock in a copper mine on Annely’s property. Annely refers to his estate in Whitestone, but not the state., Addressee may be William Kempe (d. 1759), Attorney General for the colony of New York from 1752-1759.

Edward Yorke McCauley's illustrated diary, from February 13th, 1853-June 10th, 1854, of his time aboard the USS Powhatan during its visit to Japan under Commodore Matthew Perry. Contains McCauley's written observations, as well as over 50 illustrations.

24 letters and one warrant signed by George Clinton (ca. 1686-1761) in his capacity as governor of New York between 1744 and 1751. The majority of the letters are written from New York, addressed to Major Jacob Glen, and discuss various issues relating to King Georges War, especially negotiations with the Indians for their support in the war and troop supply problems. A letter dated Fort George, New York, May 30, 1751, announces the death of the Prince of Wales to the Council and General Assembly; two others, dated October 7, 1746 and October 13, 1751, are addressed to two subsequent lieutenant-governors of Pennsylvania, George Thomas and James Hamilton. The warrant, dated July 24, 1746, authorizes Henry Holland to impress any carpenter or materials necessary to the building of ""battoes."", George Clinton (ca. 1686-1761) was a British naval officer and politician who served as colonial governor of New York from 1743 to 1753.

The four-volume diary of George Templeton Strong (1820-1875) is a detailed chronicle of the activities, interests, and relationships that characterized its author’s life. Beginning in 1835, and continued consistently into 1875, its thousands of individual entries contain descriptions of all facets of Strong’s experience, typically beginning with the weather and going on to discuss matters such as his legal work, family life, health, social ties, politics, and the arts. The diary documents upper class life in mid-nineteenth century New York City and provides reflections on the lives and attitudes of his peers. The reporting of personal activities is supplemented by Strong’s reactions to current events, most notably those related to the American Civil War. Digitization of the diary was made possible by a grant from the Peck Stacpoole Foundation.

The collection includes three volumes, correspondence, and documents, 1768-1803, related to English abolitionist and reformer Granville Sharp. The first volume contains copies of letters and related documents, 1768-1773, sent to Granville Sharp, transcribed in his own handwriting and concerning such matters as slavery, the slave trade, its evils, legal and social aspects, etc. It includes letters from Joseph Banks, Anthony Benezet, William Blackstone, Jacob Bryant, John Fothergill, Francis Hargrave, Arthur Lee, Michael Lort, and Benjamin Rush. The second volume contains Granville Sharp's copy of proceedings in the Court of King's Bench, London, February and June, 1771, in the case of Thomas Lewis, a black man, against his alleged owner, Robert Stapylton, along with John Maloney and Aaron Armstrong, for assault and imprisonment. Proceedings include trancripts of testimony given by Lewis and others. Also included are tipped in copies of Granville Sharp's remarks on the case and transcripts of the 1st and 2nd motions for judgement against Stapylton. The third volume consists of Granville Sharp's copy of part of the court proceedings in the 1772 case of James Sommersett, a slave from Virginia belonging to Charles Stewart. The case was heard in the Court of King's Bench, London, before Lord Chief Justice Mansfield and three other Justices. Granville Sharp involved himself in the case, and it was the subsequent decision of the court that a slave became free upon entering England. The volume contains the arguments for Sommersett of William Davy and John Glynn, and ends with Mansfield adjourning the proceedings to the following term. In addition, the collection includes miscellaneous documents and letters, 1772-1774 and 1784-1803, including extracts from letters of Anthony Benezet, and letters written by Granville Sharp to correspondents such as Benjamin Franklin, Campbell Haliburton, Rufus King, Joseph Reed, William White, and John Witherspoon.

Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and helped form both the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. This collection consists of seven letters by Henry Burgh, most concerning the A.S.P.C.A., or cases of animal cruelty. They are accompanied by one portrait engraving autographed by Burgh. Letter recipients include Orange County, N.Y. justice of the peace John Burt; New York state senator Augustus R. Elwood; the editor of the New York Tribune; actor Lester Wallack; and writer Henry Sedley. Of particular interest are two letters: the first, dated December 11, 1866, protesting the regular feeding of live animals to a snake at Barnums museum; and the second, dated November 7, 1881, requesting that Wallack find a position for "a beautiful young lady, of my acquaintance" at his new theater.

Letters, notes, a printed circular, and one receipt pertaining to the life and activites of Horace Greeley, dated from 1840 to 1872. Nearly all letters are written by Greeley; recipents include Thurlow Weed, Henry Clay, Roscoe Conkling, Andrew Johnson, Hamilton Fish, and Joshua R. Giddings. Receipt is for a subscription to Greeleys Whig newsletter ""Log Cabin,"" signed by Greeley., Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811-November 29, 1872) was an American politician and newspaper editor.

Draft in John Jay's hand of Federalist Number 64, originally published on March 5, 1788 in the Independent Journal. It bore the number 63 in the newspaper version, but was renumbered 64 in the first collected edition, published 22 March 1788. Comparison with the published version shows little change in the substance of the argument for the constitutional provisions for senatorial approval of treaties. Changes in organization and wording are substantial. Jay's draft speaks of "the Convention" making certain provisions while the published essay substitutes "the Constitution." Jay's justification of the election of Senators by state legislatures is omitted in the final, published paper. In answering objections to making treaties the supreme law of the land, Jay, in his draft, cites examples of British constitutional law; in his published version, the citations refer to colonial and state practice. Jay's concluding paragraph asking for a fair trial for a constitutional plan with theoretical merits is omitted in the published essay.

A manuscript copy, signed and with corrections in James Buchanan’s hand, of his inaugural address at his swearing-in as the fifteenth president of the United States. Notorious as the president whose term immediately preceded the outbreak of the Civil War, Buchanan begins his presidency by attempting to address the sectional conflicts then brewing over slavery. Celebrating the role of popular sovereignty in easing tensions, Buchanan takes an optimistic approach that ensuing events would later prove incorrect., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024

James F. Brown (1793-1868) was the ex-slave gardener of the Verplanck family at Mount Gulian, Fishkill, New York. Brown was a runaway slave from Maryland, and the Verplancks purchased his time after he was found by his master. The collection consists of 8 diaries, 1829-1866, during which time Brown was gardener for the Verplanck family; 1 receipt book, 1832-1857, recording some personal and household expenses, although most entries are unspecified; and 1 memorandum book, 1827-1843. Entries in the diaries are brief, with little elaboration, and pertain to such matters as the weather, local deaths, his gardening activities, the passage of boats on the Hudson, etc. The diaries are not entirely chronological, as in several instances the entries for a year have been copied into a later volume.

John Clarkson (1764-1828) was an English abolitionist, agent for the Sierra Leone Company, and lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. The collection consists of Clarkson's manuscripts, written in journal form, of his involvement with the settlement of free African-American loyalists from Nova Scotia to Sierra Leone, Africa. The loyalists had been evacuated from New York when the British pulled out at the end of the Revolutionary War and initially settled in Nova Scotia. Vol. 1, entitled "Clarkson's Mission to America," covers Aug. 6, 1791-Mar. 18, 1792 as Clarkson arranged for the transportation of the settlers; it provides a detailed account of his activities in Nova Scotia, persons he met there, and the problems fitting out the ships (478 p.). Vol. 2, entitled "Clarksons Mission to Africa," covers Mar. 19, 1792-Aug. 4, 1792. Clarkson's account of the founding and first months of Free Town, Sierra Leone gives numerous details of the difficulties met, relations with the native population, attitudes of the Nova Scotia settlers, and supplies (422 p.).

Drafts of Major John Coffin's statements in reply to the defense of Lieutenant-Colonel George Campbell at Campbell's court martial. Major John Coffin and Lieutenant-Colonel George Campbell both served in the loyalist Kings American Regiment during the Revolutionary War. Campbell was very unpopular among his fellow officers in the regiment, and was court martialed in the summer of 1783. Among the charges levelled against him was unfair treatment of fellow officer Abraham de Peyster, who Campbell had had arrested and tried on a variety of charges earlier that year. (De Peyster was acquitted.) The court suspended Campbell without pay for six months. The enmity between Coffin and Campbell continued after the sentencing, with Coffin allegedly challenging Campbell to a duel and posting infammatory writings about Campbell in public places. Eventually the two did exchange shots with pistols, each wounding the other, but neither man was killed. Later that year Coffin moved with his family to Canada, where he spent the rest of his life.

Manuscript book of music given to Greenwood by a British fife-major, probably after 1780. According to 'Early American Secular Music and Its European Sources, 15891839: An Index' (http://www.colonialdancing.org/Easmes/Biblio/B018536.htm, viewed August 6, 2012), the music is probably for German flute or violin, and it is a leisure collection for a gentleman and not music for use in the military as some sources suggest. The volume contains 87 numbered leaves. Leaves 18 and 24 are blank, and leaves 76-77 and 82-86 are lacking. Approximately 80 tunes are in the volume as well as biographical and historical notes added to the final leaves in the 19th and 20th centuries., Fife-major, 15th Massachusetts Regiment; he later became a dentist in New York City. Gift of Mary M. Greenwood and Eliza R. Greenwood, Dec. 7, 1942.

Two autograph notebooks (1787 May 25-June 16 and 1787 June 18-July 10), containing John Lansing's notes taken during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Some contents include: transcriptions of various committee reports, including a transcription of Alexander Hamilton's plan ('Colonel Hamilton's System'); the text of Elbridge Gerry's committee report of July 5 1787; and a three-page list of the delegates of the convention arranged by state (excluding New Hampshire, since their delegates arrived after Lansing had left Philadelphia)., John Lansing, delegate to the Constitutional Convention from New York, was born in Albany on January 30th, 1754. He was admitted to the bar in 1775, but temporarily suspended his practice to serve as aide-de-camp to General Philip Schuyler in 1776 and 1777. Beginning in 1780, Lansing served his first of six terms in the New York State Assembly, where he would be elected speaker twice. He was a member of Congress under the Articles of Confederation from 1785 to 1786, at which point he was chosen to be mayor of Albany. In 1790, he was appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, and became Chief Justice in 1798. In 1801, he was made Chancellor of New York State, a position he held until his retirement in 1814. Upon retiring, Lansing returned to practicing law, and made an unsuccessful attempt to return to the New York State Assembly, running and losing in 1824. He nonetheless kept busy, becoming involved with Columbia College and the State University of New York (where he was named a regent), and spending a great deal of time managing his land holdings, which were nearly 40,000 acres. Lansing disappeared one evening in December of 1829, while he was in New York City for some meetings at Columbia College. Lansing was last seen walking from his hotel to the dock at Cortlandt Street to mail some letters; he never returned and was never heard from again.

John Pintard (1759-1844), of New York, was a merchant, philanthropist and founder of the New-York Historical Society. Despite amassing a considerable fortune, he was briefly imprisoned in Newark, NJ for debts incurred during the financial panic of 1792. His extensive “Journal of Studies” (1797-1802) begins shortly before his imprisonment in 1797, and continues after his release thirteen months later, complementing a number of diaries and journals found in Pintard’s personal papers. Initially, the journal is a record of intellectual pursuits, specifically documenting his voracious reading habits, but other activities as well such as languages he is studying (e.g., Hebrew, Italian and Spanish). Also included are notes kept on occurrences at the debtors prison a highlight of which is a description of a prisoner’s escape and subsequent capture. His reading tastes are broad, including noted works in the following: classics, law, poetry, plays, novels and philosophy. Around 1800, the journal evolves into a more traditional diary, with less regular details of his reading, giving brief daily entries commingling personal experiences and public events. Among myriad topics and information recorded are politics, deaths and birthdays, business activities, travel (Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Havana, New Orleans), weather and nature observations, and daily miles walked.

Notebook of John Watson, the painter, containing miscellaneous notes and personal account information written by Watson in 1726 and by Watson's nephew, Alexander Watson in 1775-1778. There are accounts of things bought, real estate transactions, poetry, music, etc. Includes account ""for painting in York, 1726."" The volume also includes some pages covered with John Watson's boyhood arithmetic from 1701. Some pages missing.The notebook is extensively described in the article by John Hill Morgan, 'John Watson, Painter, Merchant, and Capitalist of New Jersey, 1685-1768', published in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, vol. 50, p. 225., Painter, active in New Jersey and New York.

Joseph Goodwin was a plantation manager in Cuba originally from Hudson, N.Y. This diary was presumably kept by Goodwin, although it may have been kept by his brother. After leaving home in Hudson, N.Y., Goodwin worked for Gen. George De Wolf, first in Bristol, Rhode Island for a few months and then on De Wolfs plantations near Matanzas, Cuba as a manager or overseer. The plantations grew mainly coffee although other crops are mentioned. The crops were worked by slaves. The diary entries are mainly routine and record weather, plantation activities, people met, and local news. Mentioned often are George and William De Wolf. While in Cuba, Goodwin stayed first at the home of John Line and later at the plantations Buena Esperanza and Arca de Noe. Some pages of the diary are missing.

Joseph Reed (1741-1785) was a lawyer, Revolutionary War soldier, and statesman born in Trenton, New Jersey. His wife, Esther De Berdt (1747-1780), organized aid for the Continental Army during the Revolution and was born in London, England. The collection consists of letters and documents that pertain to such matters as colonial politics; trade between England and America; De Berdt family affairs; Joseph’s pre-Revolution law practice; relations between Great Britain and the colonies; the supply of the Revolutionary Army; Joseph’s activities in the Continental Army and as a member of Continental Congress; his work as president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania from 1778-1781; and lists of donations raised by the ladies of Philadelphia for the benefit of the soldiers of the American Army collected under the leadership of Esther in 1780.

Two autograph letters, signed, from Joshua B. Aldridge to Anthony Van Schaick, Esq. of Albany, dated Ballston Spa, N.Y., August 23 and September 15, 1806, regarding the collection of a debt from one John Green. Both letters also bear notations ""Sup. Court"" and ""[Plaintiffs] letter"" on reverse. The note referred to in the first letter is not present.

Mahlon Day (1790-1854) was a Quaker, publisher of children's books, printer, and bookseller in New York City. This is a contemporary copy of a diary kept by Day while on a tour of the West Indies (Nov. 1839-Apr. 1840) in the company of Joseph John Gurney, the English Quaker philanthropist, minister, and writer. In most of the places they visited, they did considerable sightseeing, held religious services for all faiths, and were entertained by many residents. They were particularly interested in education, religion, and the condition of the Black population, especially on the free islands as compared to those that still permitted slavery. Day also includes many rhymes composed by Gurney to commemorate particular occasions. Persons whom they visited include: Sir W.M.B.G. Colebrooke and Nathaniel Gilbert of Antigua, and John and Maria Candler of Jamaica.

Untitled poem attributed to Jupiter Hammon, a slave, who belonged to the Lloyd family, proprietors of the Manor of Queens Village in what is now the Village of Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. It was composed as a tribute to Anne Hutchinson, who advocated for civil liberty and religious freedom in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The poem is part of the Townsend family papers, and was written down by Phebe Townsend, youngest of Robert Townsend's three sisters. The Townsends interacted with the Lloyd family. Inscribed at the foot of page [3]: 'Compos[e]d by Jupiter Hammon, A Negro Belonging to Mr. Joseph Lloyd of Q[u]eens Villiage [sic] on Long Island. August the 10th 1770. Phebe Townsend.'

The records of the Ladies' Christian Union include annual reports, minutes, financial and real estate records, correspondence, photographs, biographical writings, membership lists, ephemera, printed brochures, articles, and manuals. The Ladies Christian Union was founded in New York City in 1858 with the aim of creating and maintaining safe, affordable housing for young, unmarried Christian women employed in the New York area. Between the years 1860-1922, the organization owned and operated a total of eight buildings in Manhattan. In 1871, the "Young Ladies Branch" of the Ladies Christian Union established itself as an independent organization known as the "Young Ladies Christian Association," better known today as the "Young Womens Christian Association" (YWCA).

Nine letters from various correspondents to Thomas Jefferson Durant, a lawyer and Louisiana state senator, and one of the few prominent Southerners who supported the Union during the Civil War. After the war he practiced in Washington D.C.

Copy of a 1605 map depicting the coast of Florida from St. Augustine to the St. Lucie River, removed from a bound volume in the Buckingham Smith papers at the New-York Historical Society. The volume includes transcriptions of 17th-18th century documents made between 1854 and 1858, probably from originals at the Real Academia de la Historia in Madrid, Spain, and also includes hand-drawn maps and correspondence to Smith. The map is listed in the handwritten list of contents as "Rutier of Mexia from St. Augustine to Ays, 1605".

Papers, 1774-1868, mainly consisting of correspondence and legal documents relating to Martha Bradsteets attempts to regain title to land in Utica (N.Y.), which was originally part of the property of General John Bradstreet, the stepfather of Bradstreets father, Samuel. Title to the land became confused by a poorly drafted deed of sale to Peter Schuyler in 1793, and Martha Bradstreets claim to the land was further complicated by the terms of the will of her aunt, Elizabeth Livius. Because Bradstreet married Matthew Codd in 1799 without the approval of Charles Morgan, the executor of the will, her share of the property reverted to her brother, Samuel Bradstreet. When Morgan approved the marriage in 1801, she found much of the land had been sold, and her litigation, in a case which was finally decided against her in 1831, was an attempt to cancel the sales and regain possession of the land. Bradstreet spent a a good deal of time in England and Ireland, and conducted the litigation through lawyers in London, Edward Bell and C. Bedford. Her Irish cousins, Simon, Edmund, and John Bradstreet, are represented in the correspondence. John Bradstreet was particularly involved in her affairs. The correspondence contains some personal letters, but is mainly concerned with the case; the bulk of it dates from 1815. There are also wills, leases, powers of attorney, and other miscellaneous papers and bills. Arrangement: I. Martha Bradstreet, Correspondence, 1812-1858 (bulk 1815). II. John Bradstreet, Correspondence, 1814-1818 (bulk 1815). III. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1811-1817. IV. Legal papers, 1774-1856. V. Miscellaneous, 1815-1868., Claimant to land in Utica (N.Y.); member of a family which was prominent in Ireland and New York State.